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Messaging app Blink has been acquired by Yahoo. A self-destructing messaging platform like of Snapchat, Blink saw minimal success in the US but broadened their scope to reach other markets. The service, which will be shuttered, saw widespread adoption in the Middle East.

Yahoo, who trail behind contemporaries like Google, have topped the list of large tech companies making acquisitions in 2013. According to a study by PrivCo, Yahoo acquired more companies and spent more money than anyone else. With an upcoming investment maturing, the spending may increase, but some are wondering what Yahoo is up to.

Yahoo’s mail app has been updated for iOS today, adding some unique functionality breaks the simple “email app” mode. The main mobile portal for Yahoo will now offer up “one-tap access to personalized, real-time information”. You will still have access to mail, of course, but that doesn’t seem to be the focus anymore.

Not to be outdone by the growing proliferation of original series TV shows, Yahoo plans to launch its own television-length comedy series (two of them, to be precise), which will be made available to viewers on the company's mobile apps and websites.

Among Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's efforts to boost the company into greener pastures comes word on a couple of internal projects, one that is quite ambitious: getting Apple to replace Google with Yahoo as its default search engine on iOS.

It's no secret that Yahoo is working hard to get into the video content realm. Yahoo has tried to purchase a streaming video company called DailyMotion in the past, but the deal didn’t work out. The search firm is still looking to roll out its own video streaming site to compete with YouTube. Whether that will be done by purchasing an existing streaming site or starting from scratch remains to be seen.

In light of recent data collection scandals, Yahoo has been girding up its loins and strengthening the security of its services. Now the company is reporting what it has so far accomplished, which practically consists of applying HTTPS on almost all aspects of its Internet presence.

Yahoo! Maps has added indoor venue mapping, raising its challenge to Google Maps by including internal navigation for more than 75,000 buildings worldwide. The new feature, provided by Nokia's HERE platform, takes mapping indoors in places like shopping centers, even across multiple levels.

Yahoo is no stranger to acquisitions, nabbing up scores of startups during CEO Marissa Mayer's reign. The latest among these is a startup based out of Porland, Vizify, which keeps itself busy by turning rote statistical information and data into visually-appealing interactive infographs. Vizify revealed the acquisition on its website today.

Many online services allow users to log in using their Facebook or Google account credentials, which is usually a fast way to access a service and simple way to keep your login info straight. Soon, Yahoo services will no longer allow this, and will instead require users to have a Yahoo ID.